The season got off to an exciting start for the Milford softball team.
The Eagles had to come from behind Aug. 22 to down Yutan-Mead 8-7. Trailing 7-2, the Eagles scored four runs in the fifth to cut the score to 7-6.
With one out in the top of the seventh, Riley Springer reached on an error and went to second on a single by Hannah Wittstruck. Lexi Riley grounded into a fielder’s choice, to load the bases. Alyssa Brown was hit by a pitch to drive in Springer and tie the game.
Emily Kenning singled to center to drive in Wittstruck and give Milford the 8-7 lead.
In the circle in the bottom of the seventh, Springer recorded two strikeouts and a pop fly to second to end the game.
Ayla Roth led the team with a 3-4 game. Carraher and Wittstruck had two hits each, and Springer doubled and drove in two runs.
“So far the top half of the lineup has been fun to watch,” Coach Chad Carraher said. “They all make contact. Their hard work is paying off early.”
MHS hosted its home tournament Aug. 24 and went 2-1, falling to Standing Bear 7-4 and beating Logan View/Scribner-Snyder 8-7 and Cass 9-2.
This was the first year to have eight teams in the tournament. Previous competitions had four teams. Teams like McCook and St. Paul were new to the bracket.
“It was a great tournament,” Coach Carraher said.
The Eagles played the 8 a.m. game against Standing Bear and struggled to get things going, the coach said. The defense had a tough time, committing four errors in the first two innings, which led to six Standing Bear runs.
Izzy Yeackley hit a two-run home run in the third inning. She and Wittstruck had two hits each in the game.
The Eagles had to hold off a late rally by LVSS to get the win in game two.
“It was a great game,” Coach Carraher said. “We had a few errors, but we outhit them.”
Milford led 8-4 after the fourth inning and allowed a run in the fifth and two in the sixth. LVSS had the tying run at second in the sixth and recorded the third out by leaving base early.
Yeackley hit a three-run home run in the fourth and finished with four RBIs. Roth was 2-3 and scored three runs.
In addition to the home run, Coach Carraher was pleased to see Sadie Frazier execute a sacrifice bunt to drive in the tying run in the third inning.
To close the day, the Eagles downed Cass 9-2. Coach Carraher said both teams were worn out by the heat. The game ended in four innings via the run rule.
Roth was 2-2 with three RBIs to lead the Eagles. Yeackley also drove in two runs, as did Kyla Troyer.
“We were able to jump out early and then extend to win,” Coach Carraher said.
Overall, the coach was pleased with how the team played in the first week of the season. One thing he noticed the Eagles need to work on is starting out ready to play. He said the upperclassmen noticed the sluggish starts and talked to the team about them.
Committing fewer errors is another area of focus, Coach Carraher said. That improvement will come with practice.
The Eagles (3-1) were scheduled to play at Syracuse Aug. 27 and at St. Paul Thursday, Aug. 29.
